Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-02-10
WASHINGTON MATTERS.
C0NGRE SIGNAL, PERSONAL AND GEN.
ERAL NEWS
The Interstate Commerce Bill Law.

President Cleveland has signed the inter
state commerce bill His action is in full
| accord with the views of Attorney Gen
eral Garland, and there is perfect harmony
| between the President and his cabinet on
| the subject. The attorney general is said
| to hold that the present bill does not con.
| Ter Judicial powers on the commission but
puts them In the courts on report from the
| commission, and that it does not confer
| legislative power except i'll the fourth
| section 1.-THE long and short haul clause),
and that this is warranted by numberless
precedents in the legislative history of the
| government.
The senate has passed the bill to credit
| and pay TO the several states and terrific
ries and the District of Columbia all mon
eys collected under the direct tax levied
under the act of August 3 1861. The bill
passed with but one dissenting vote, Van
| Wyck OF Nebraska voting in the negative.
An amendment in the nature Of a sub
stitute to the railroad attorneys bill, was
| passed. The amendment makes IL unlaw-
full for member of congress to accept EN-
ployment as an attorney in opposition to
| the United States in any case to which the
United States may be a party, or from any
subsidized railroad company, IL such
| member have cau.e to believe that meas
ures specially effecting the interests of
such railroad are pending before congress
|
term OF office.
The president has signed the bill for
| amending the bill relating to the muster
and pay of certain officers and enlisted
men in the volunteer service. The bill
| provides that where an officer served in
| higher grade from that to which he was
| commissioned and was subsequently COM
missioned TO that higher grade, he should
be mustered and paid from the date from
Ia nh Ea 70. foly IxFt h.. .
! his commission, whether that commission
was actual, issued to him at that time or
not. At least 10 officers TO every regiment
engaged on the union side during the war
will come under the terms of the bill,
The electoral count bill recently passed
Is now law, the president having signed
| the bill.
English sparrows. and paupers from
| every Cline have come to this country
| almost withouta protest from the powers
that be- but the report that a cargo of
| Australian rabbits is bound forthe United
States has created widespread havoc at
the seat of government. The matter has
| been laid before the ways and means COM
mittee. 1t is the general opinion that
pleuro pneumoni a, small pox or cholera is
preferable to the English Australian rab
| bit.
Mr.. Evarts of New York introduced
| bill In the senate the other day for 1.-The
purchase OF John Ericcson's Destroyer and
| ten enlarged steel vessels of the same type
| for defending the harbors of the United
States" appropriating Sic, 600 and 81, 0O0,-
600 for these purposes respectively.
While the astute senator from New York
| Is fully alive to the danger threatening our
harbors he is equally vigilant where his own
interests are concerned. When the bill to
| prohibit members of congress from acting
| as attorneys for subsidized railroad COM
panies was under discussion, no one OPP
posed IL more vigorously than did Evarts.
The bill to enable the people to elect
their own postmasters has been reported
adversely In the house, and we must be
content with having postoffices dealt out
as political swag"
The President and Mrs. Cleveland enter
tanned the diplomatic corps at q state din
ner few nights since. Covers were laid
for forty-one guests. The White House
was magnificently decorated with plants
and flowers, and music was furnished by
the marine band: All the foreign minis
tiers residing at the capital were present,
| except the Japanese minister, who was
absent on account Of illness. The Haytien
minister escorted Mrs. Cleveland to dinner
and she had the secretary Of state on her
left.
s. s. Cox, whose long continued illness
has been source OF great anxiety to his
friends, is greatly improved. and will, it
Is hoped, be convalescent In few days.
The Northern Pacific land forfeiture bill
which was last seen iu the possession OF
the house conferees, has been lost or mis-
placed. It's disappearance has been kept
secret, but IL Is known that search for il has
been going on for q month.
The President has approved the act
granting pensions to the soldiers and
sailors of the Mexican war; the act provid-
ing for IA school OF instruction for cavalry
and light artillery and for the construction
Of quarters, barracks and stables at certain
! klls.